1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to devices for the handling of hay bales and the like, and more particularly to a bale handling apparatus for use in loading, transporting, and unloading large round or rectangular hay bales.
2. Description of the Related Art
Large bale loading and transport devices have been utilized for many years. One common large bale handling device is a two or three-prong lifting fork that is attached to the back of a tractor's three-point hitch. In operation, the tractor is backed toward one end of the bale with the lifting fork in a lowered position. The fork points either spear the end of the bale, or straddle the bottom of the bale or both. The lifting fork is then raised by the three-point hitch thereby lifting the bale off the ground. The bale is then transported by the tractor to the desired location. The disadvantage of this type of bale handling device is that the tractor and lifting fork must be maneuvered to be substantially square with one end of the bale. If the lifting fork is not substantially square with the end of the bale, the forks will not penetrate or straddle the end of the bale, and the bale will simply spin on the ground, requiring the tractor to be remaneuvered and realigned with the end of the bale. This problem is of significantly more concern with large round hay bales, especially on hilly ground. Another disadvantage of this type of bale handling device is that only one bale can be transported at a time. Additionally, because this bale handling device is attached to a tractor's three point hitch, multiple bales cannot be loaded onto a conventional flatbed trailer because the forks will not raise high enough to place the bales onto the trailer.
To overcome this problem, the above described lifting fork has been adapted to attach to a tractor's front-end loader. The lifting fork either replaces the bucket of the loader or is adapted to mount on the loader bucket. Although mounting the lifting fork on a tractor's front-end loader enables the bales to be lifted high enough for loading the bales onto a trailer, it does not overcome the problem of having to maneuver the tractor and lifting fork to be substantially square with one end of the bale before the bale can be lifted.
Still another modification of this device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,597 wherein the lifting fork has been adapted to mount to the bumper of a pickup truck. However this device suffers from the same disadvantages described above.
Other types of large bale handling devices, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,573,845; 5,062,757; 5,340,259 and 5,676,513, have incorporated a lifting mechanism with a transporting trailer. Although these devices enable multiple bales to be loaded onto a trailer for transport, these devices pose similar problems to the above described devices in that the entire trailer on which the lifting mechanism is attached must be maneuvered and aligned with each bale before the bale can be lifted. It should be readily apparent that the aligning and maneuvering requirements of these devices with each bale to be lifted causes considerable waste of time and effort in loading the bales.
Accordingly, there is a need for a large bale handling apparatus which can be mountable on a trailer or other transport device that enables large bales to be loaded and stacked onto a trailer without requiring the entire trailer to be maneuvered and aligned with the bale.
In addition to the above identified disadvantages of the existing large bale handling devices, all of these devices pose similar problems when unloading the bales from the trailer. In order to unload the bales from the trailer, a second bale handling apparatus such as a tractor with a lifting fork must be used to move the bales away from the trailer once the bale is unloaded from the trailer. Alternatively, the trailer itself must be moved after each bale is unloaded.
Accordingly, there is a need for a large bale handling apparatus which can be mountable on a trailer or other transport device that enables a user to load and unload large bales without having to employ a second bale handling apparatus such as a tractor with a lifting fork or without having to move the trailer after each bale is unloaded. Additionally, there is a need for a large bale handling apparatus which can unload bales and place them directly into a feeding bunk or alternatively stack the bales for storage without employing a second bale handling apparatus such as a tractor with a lifting fork.